[{"TitleName":"Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match","Publisher":"Impressions Ltd","Author":"Glenn Benson, Paul Johnson [2]","YearOfRelease":"1990","ZxDbId":"0002684","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 79, Aug 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-07-19","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nStaff Writer: Mark Caswell\r\nEditorial Assistant: Viv Vickress\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nContributors: Nick (Pie Scan!) Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nProduction Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nArt Director: Mark (Sparkie!) Kendrick\r\nReprographics: Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Rob (the Rev) Hamilton, Jenny Reddard\r\nDesign: David Western, Melvin Fisher\r\nSystems Manager: Ian (\"E\") Chubb\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAdvertisement Production Assistants: Jackie Morris, Joanne Lewis\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nUK Subscriptions and Back Issues enquiries Robert Edwards [redacted]. Yearly Subscription Rates UK £15.40 Europe £22 Air Mail Overseas £35.\r\nUS/Canada subscriptions and Back Issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly Subscriptions Rates US$47 Canada CAN$57 Back Issues US$5.20 Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers using Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator '88, output at MBI [redacted] with systems support from Digital Reprographics [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop the Viv Vickress a line at the main address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Colour photographic material should be 35mm transparencies wherever possible. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1989 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Impressions\r\n£9.99/£14.99\r\n\r\nThis isn't a World Cup game, but there's plenty of soccer action and our mate Ken pops up now and again in his managerial capacity to offer advice. Sadly Ken's advice is of little use. You start the game by choosing the number of teams playing (1- 4), the game speed (normal or fast), the name of the teams participating, the skill level (1-9) and finally the game length. 10, 20, 40 or 90 minutes are on offer - and you're advised go for the 10 minute option!\r\n\r\nYou're then whisked to the pitch where your players (and the opposition) stand waiting for the whistle. The game is seen a side-on with the players moving from left to right. As with most footy games the controlled player is highlighted by an arrow.\r\n\r\nThe computer picks the player nearest the ball, and this very often causes much frustration when an opposing player moves off screen and the computer takes several seconds to decide which players you should take control of! Aaargh!\r\n\r\nKenny Dalglish Soccer Match didn't impress me in the least, the stupid comments made by Kenny at the start and end of the game are only matched by the useless players. They all resemble pot bellied dwarves who wander to the side of the pitch when not watched closely. And as for the ball! Most of the time it simply trails behind the player in control. Even when it seemed some control was gained the player regularly lost the ball for no readily apparent reason. Take my advice, save your money and stick to watching The Manageress on TV.\r\n\r\nMARK 40%","ReviewerComments":["I've just about had enough of football. And now to add insult to injury Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match is here. Twenty two deformed hunchbacks hobble around a green expanse of play area with no apparent purpose. With the likes of Matchday II I'd thought the days of computer players standing in a corner with dubious intent was past, but this game reintroduces that nasty 'feature'. And as for Kenny appearing throughout the game with his useless advise, give me Matchday II anytime.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n44%"],"OverallSummary":"Ignore Kenny's advice, take ours: avoid this disappointing football game.","Page":"43","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"44","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"40","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"48%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"35%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"48%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"44%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"42%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 55, Jul 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-06-07","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Kevin Hibbert\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Joe Davies, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Jo Fulton, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Kate Hodges, Duncan MacDonald, Jon North, Rich Pelley, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertising Executive: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Richardson\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Manager: Ian Seager\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: SM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"Impressions\r\n£9.99 cass/£14.99 disk\r\nReviewer: Kati Hamza\r\n\r\nIn the world of football it's a well-known fact that Kenny Dalglish is magic. In fact, there are some who believe that there's absolutely nothing this stonking great giant among footballers cannot do. He's up there at the top of the first division, Scotland's most capped player ever, and a corking good manager to boot. At the end of the day he's just basically your all-round Mr Marvellous, one of the greatest toe-pokers ever known to man.\r\n\r\nRight, that's the crawling over with, now to the game in hand. On paper this, the second of a trio of Kenny capers, sounds like simplicity itself. Note the operative word there - \"sounds\". It kicks off with several natty piccies of Mr Magic, holy of holies, offering you a positive plethora of sporting options. Up to four friendly footie fans, each kitted out in one of nine difficulty levels, can take part in matches, which last anything from ten to ninety minutes. There are two default teams, the reds, Kenny's, and the blues (the opposition),though as the whole shenanigans comes in a cool, crisp shade of monochrome you can't really tell them apart. Still- nice to see a bit of consideration for the color-blind.\r\n\r\nBut hold it! There's just one more thing before the whistle blows - a quick word from the Scottish Spitfire himself. Kenny lets out a few gems of worldly wisdom, meaningful things like \"Play fair, but hard\", before sending you out on the astro-turf to get your hairy shins kicked in. 'Ere we go!\r\n\r\nThe first thing you notice is the pitch. Basically it's a weird horizontally-scrolling rectangle of turf which takes up about a third of the screen and lurches up and down a bit just for good measure. The second thing you notice is the players. Twiglets. They look like they've just recovered from a six-month hunger strike. And they run like it too, poor lads.\r\n\r\nControl passes automatically to the stickman nearest the ball. On the kick-list are flicks, chops and three different lengths of pass, and that's it! Dribbling is mostly a case of the ball sticking to the foot, unless you make any hasty moves, in which case the leather bladder just rolls away. Yikes! Fouls aren't recognised, but corners and throw ins are, and if you score there's the added bonus of a jubilant picette of Kenny giving you the imperial thumbs up.\r\n\r\nIt doesn't take a degree in shin pad maintenance to telly you that this'd be footie action at its most rudimentary, even if it worked. It doesn't. For a start the ball is a lot more intelligent than the computer players. For reasons presumably known only to itself, it occasionally veers off at 90 degree angles and travels so slowly when you throw it in that you've got time to run into the pitch and catch it yourself. Very bizarre.\r\n\r\nAha, but there's still hope if you want to win. I managed to score three goals just dribbling up to the goal and tapping it in. Skill? I nearly saw some once.\r\n\r\nLike I said before, Kenny Dalglish is magic. \"I honestly believe he has been blessed,\" Don Revie said of him once. So it's official. Kenny Dalglish is holy and everything he touches turns to gold. And from that I can draw only one conclusion. He never touched Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A turkey which just about scrapes into the GM Vauxhall Conference. Top of the league stuff it ain't.","Page":"63","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Kati Hamza","Score":"46","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Dribble, dribble, pass, pass, GOOOOAAL!"},{"Text":"I spy with my little eye a team wearing blue. (Well, I would if they'd bothered to splash out on a few different colours to identify the team. Is this a lost cause or wot!?)"},{"Text":"Note the absence of the typical footballer's distinguishing marks. Not a designer perm in sight."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"46%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"44%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"50%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"38%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"46%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 101, Jul 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-06-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Jim Douglas\r\nDeputy Editor: Garth Sumpter\r\nDesigner: \"Osmond\" Browne\r\nAdvertisement Manager: James Owens\r\nSales Executive: Alan Dykes\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean Barrett\r\nMarketing Executive: Sarah Ewing\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\n©1990 EMAP Images, [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by J'n'G Type\r\nColour work by Pro Print.\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher Web Ltd, Peterborough.\r\nDistributed by BBC Frontline."},"MainText":"KENNY DALGLISH SOCCER MATCH\r\nLabel: Impressions\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nReviewer: Jim Douglas\r\n\r\nKenny Dalglish Soccer Match, claims the box-blurb, \"is football arcade action at its very best\". Since it's actually one of the least enjoyable games I've played recently, I'm afraid that I'll have to scotch this.\r\n\r\nHad they said it was 'football arcade action which isn't bad\" or \"football arcade action which has some dodgy bits\", I could have stomached it. Best? Non.\r\n\r\nThe U.S.P. (unique selling point) of Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match is, of course, Ken himself. Ken leads you through the menus. He gives you tips on play. Throughout the game, pics of Ken flip up to indicate triumph (if you score) and despair (they score). These are perfectly fine, and in fact rather good. The idea of King Ken giving you playing tips strikes me as pretty cool. It all seems a bit arbitrary, though. Things like \"We must win\" don't really explain that much.\r\n\r\nThe player currently under your control carries a big arrow over his head. In theory, the machine is supposed to select the one nearest the ball, but I often found my precision set-pieces were dashed because I was controlling the wrong man.\r\n\r\nWhile the frills are fine, the bulk of the game is awfully dull. For a start, all the players run around at the same speed. This leads to huge processions of equally paced players trailing along after the ball.\r\n\r\nSince the teams are either black or nearly black, a big mass of players all scrambling all over the ball gets darned confusing. In the ball is out of sight for much of the game.\r\n\r\nThe inertia on the ball is thoroughly unsatisfactory. It zooms along while airborne, but stops as if it's landed on a bit of velcro as soon as it hits the ground.\r\n\r\nThe kick itself, though, is fine. Hold the fire button down, and move the joystick to a certain position to select your shot; flicks, chips and long lobs are all available and there is some definite skill involved in making progress up the field.\r\n\r\nKenny Dalglish Soccer Match, with all its options for team skill, match duration, digitised pictures and (occasionally useful) advice from the man himself, scores high on frills but low on actual, basic fun.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"High on frills, low on frills. Not much fun be had.","Page":"28","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jim Douglas","Score":"58","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Footy match of the Living Dead! See the undead aimlessly following the ball. They have no free will! They have no hair!"},{"Text":"Ker-punt! A masterful kick from the keeper. The keyed-up defenders are ready for anything thrown at them by the opposition."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"55%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"58%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"The Games Machine Issue 32, Jul 1990","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1990-06-21","Editor":"Richard Montiero","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ALL DEPARTMENTS\r\nNewsfield, The Games Machine, [redacted]\r\n\r\nEDITORIAL\r\nConsultant Editor: Richard Monteiro\r\nDeputy Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nSub Editor: Dominic Handy\r\nStaff Writers: Robin Candy, Mark Caswell, Warren Lapworth\r\nEditorial Assistant: Vivien Vickress\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\nEditorial Director: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nProduction Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nDesign: Ian Chubb\r\nReprographics: Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard, Robert Hamilton\r\nSystems Operators: Paul Chubb\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAd Sales: Sarah Chapman, Jackie Morris (assistant)\r\nAdministration Assistant: Joanne Lewis\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions rates available from main address\r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers running Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator 88, with systems support from Digital Print Reprographics, [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group. Distribution effected by COMAG, [redacted].\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. List of winners are available after the closing date from Viv Vickress at the main address. No person who has any relationship to anyone who works for Newsfield Ltd or any sponsoring companies may enter the competitions. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into TGM - including written and photographic material, hardware or software - unless it's accompanied by a suitable SAE. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photographic material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates - we reserve the right to edit any written material. The views expressed in TGM are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\n©1990 TGM Magazines Ltd\r\nA Newsfield Publication ISSN 0954-8092\r\n\r\nCover Design Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Spectrum £9.99\r\n\r\nIn TGM018, we reviewed Kenny Daiglish Soccer Manager, on Impression's Cognito label. Now it's straight down to the match itself. Up to four players can compete in a mini-league of matches of ten, 20, 40 or 90 minutes duration, at normal or fast speed and, if playing against the computer, playing at one of nine skill levels.\r\n\r\nThe pitch is simply indicated by line markings yet scrolling, though fast, is still jerky. Sprites are small and old fashioned, with curious fat bellies and, apart from their eyes, completely black heads. Although their movement is fine, apart from non-controlled players dashing back and forth like madmen, the ball isn't, ignoring laws of momentum and categorically refusing to bounce.\r\n\r\nEffects are simple but the music's not bad. Apart from the Kick Off-style free-running ball (ie it doesn't stick magically to players' feet), Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match is a plain and old fashioned game, whose look is more basic than the original Match Day. With it being a World Cup year, it's best to look at the other football games flooding the market before parting with your cash.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"58","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Warren Lapworth","Score":"60","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"60%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]